Nada, from Malaysia, first noticed a lump on her right cheek in October 2019. Some local doctors thought it was acne, while others suspected it was a sarcoma. However, as time went on, the lump became more noticeable. Following her doctor’s advice, Nada underwent surgery, and the post-operative pathology indicated melanoma.
To control the tumor's progression, Nada underwent over 30 radiotherapy sessions and nearly 20 immunotherapy treatments. She was thrilled when her PET-CT scans in 2021 and 2022 showed no sign of tumors. Unfortunately, the good news didn't last. A review at the beginning of 2023 revealed multiple metastatic tumors in her liver. This news was hard for Nada to accept, but she insisted on continuing active treatment.
Nada underwent several rounds of immunotherapy, but the results were disappointing. Despite switching to various immunotherapy drugs, the liver metastases were not controlled and continued to grow. The tumor progression caused her abdomen to swell to the size of a six- to seven-month pregnancy, along with full-body edema, difficulty breathing, and trouble sleeping. Her family sought help from doctors far and wide, knowing that single-agent immunotherapy was not enough, and a new treatment approach was needed.
Through the head of Fuda Cancer Hospital’s office in Malaysia, Nada contacted Prof. Niu Lizhi. After an online consultation and receiving an initial treatment plan, she and her husband came to China. Nada shared that after the first interventional treatment, although the edema remained, her condition gradually improved. By the fourth treatment, she was no longer suffering as much. Currently, her edema has subsided, and her abdominal bloating has eased. Follow-up tests show no signs of recurrence in the right side of her face, and some of the liver metastases have shrunk.
“This is a huge surprise.” For Nada and her husband, it was the unique techniques, close teamwork, and attentive service at Fuda Cancer Hospital that led to their current joy.
